Traveling on a Journey with Ann Brashares

 

“I don’t really write with the idea of trying to teach any lessons. I want to tell a story as truthfully and engagingly as I can, and then let the chips fall where they may.”

-Ann Brashares

          I chose Ann Brashares to do my author study because she was able to capture my attention and make me want to read again. When I was younger, I had mixed feelings about reading because I felt like I was being forced to read books. One of the stories that my mom used to spark my interest again was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  I think her stories all have a similar theme of friendship and sisterhood. Being a young girl, these stories are very easy to relate to because everyone has close friends and they are going through the same situations that these girls face.

Ann Brashares was born in Alexandria, Virginia. She studied philosophy at Barnard College and graduated in 1989. After she graduated, she decided to take a break and save up money. She worked for a children’s book editor in New York City. She ended up loving her job and never went back. Instead she made a transition from editor to writer with the introduction of her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

  Brashares states that girls in her stories were not based on her own friends, but rather they are a combination of people she knows. If she had to pick a character that she would most relate with, it would be the Carmen who is Catholic and has divorced parents. Also, she never visited the places she wrote about, but instead researched online and used her imagination.

I think this author sends a great message throughout her books to young girls. Many girls go through family struggles and changes. As if that is not hard enough, sometimes friendships tend to fall apart easier than staying together. Her stories capture the true meaning and value of friendship that is such a great role model for young adult readers.